TAMIL DIASPORA OF UNITED KINGDOM
Thirst of Tigers is always the mother land Eelam
Wiggy demands written agreement to address Tamils’ issues
Former Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council C.V. Wigneswaran who now spearheads the party called 'Tamil Makkal Koottani' (TMK) said today his support to any main presidential candidate would be conditional to written consent by either of them to address demands put forward by him on behalf of Tamil people.
Mr. Wigneswaran told Daily Mirror that his party would participate in the elections, but not field any candidate.
He said the scaling down of the military presence in the north and east, release of private lands occupied by the security forces, halting colonization of the north and east with people from the Sinhalese community and the erection of Buddha statues in the Tamil majority areas were among them. Besides, he said ‘Tamil political prisoners’ or those who were arrested and detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) should be freed forthwith.
“There are 120 of them. In fact, people like Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman have committed far worse crimes than them. But, he is afforded a front row chair at important events. Why can’t these people be released then?” the former Chief Minister asked.
He also said the grievances of the families of the disappeared persons should be addressed, and the war crime charges probed.
Asked whether he would contest, he said he would not do so as otherwise, it would give the edge for the candidate from Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). However, he said Tamils might consider voting for a third candidate this time.
“If I contest, I will get a few hundred thousands of votes. What is the use of it? But, Tamils may consider voting for a third candidate this time. Then, it would deny the required 50% votes for any main contestant,” he said. (Kelum Bandara)
EC steps up counter-terrorism, extremism prevention support to SL
The European Commission, through its Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace, has allocated 8.5 million euros to support Sri Lankan efforts to prevent violent extremism, build community resilience, and promote peace and tolerance.
In a statement, the European Commission today said the amount would also contribute to the ongoing peace-building process through internally displaced persons and refugees being able to return to their land.
“This allocation comes after High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini’s meeting earlier this month with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, where she underlined the EU’s readiness to support Sri Lanka in the face of the challenges of terrorism and violent extremism,” it said.
The €8.5 million Commission support will follow a three-pronged approach: It will support Sri Lankan policymakers, competent authorities and the security and judicial branches in their mission to prevent and respond to terrorist threats and attacks in a human rights compliant manner; it will focus on the prevention of violent extremism and will support relevant local stakeholders to develop and disseminate positive awareness-raising campaigns, notably via partnerships with global social media actors; and it will contribute to the last stages of de-mining in three districts in the north and focus on peace-building to reinforce national cohesion and reconciliation.
The Easter Sunday terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka killed over 258 people and injured many others.
“Preventing and responding to terrorist attacks like this is an additional challenge for Sri Lanka along with numerous other challenges in transitioning to durable peace after many years of conflict, such as refugees, internally displaced persons and land identified as potentially infested with mines and explosive remnants,” the EC statement said.